Dr. Ruel Malata implored the graduating students of UP Visayas to never be afraid and have fortitude as they encounter challenges. This was his message during the Baccalaureate Service at the UPV Auditorium on July 19, 2023.
Emphasizing the word fortitude, Malata prodded the students to have courage in adversity or pain and develop a strength of mind, especially in times of difficulty. One thing that he has always held on to is that "the presence of God makes us strong and courageous."
Quoting phrases from the bible, he also underscored in Psalm 23 the assurance that was given by God: "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the path of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me."
Malata also shared his travails in UP Visayas as an undergraduate student for six and a half years, while the others clinched a diploma for only four years. He also spent four years at UP High School in Iloilo before this. These experiences showed him how to have the grit to overturn his fate, leading to a degree in Medicine and later a 3-year training in Psychiatry at the Philippine General Hospital of UP Manila. Malata now practices psychiatry, is connected with St. Paul’s Hospital in Iloilo, and is one of the leading psychiatrists in Iloilo.
The Baccalaureate Service is a tradition of UP Visayas leading to the Commencement Exercises. Attended by graduating students, the service was filled with inspirational phrases and hymns by the Bahandi Singers.
The offertory collected amounted to PhP 21,020.25, which will be for the benefit of Center of Grace Kids Ministry, based in Barangay Habog Habog Salvacion in Molo, for young and needy school children. Part of its advocacy is mental health, which aligns with this year’s Baccalaureate theme of fortitude.
This year’s Baccalaureate Service was chaired by Prof. Mary Oveta Villareal and co-chaired by Prof. Dulce Maria Deriada. Members of the committee included: Ms. Ma. Rhona Beriales, Ms. Josielou Chan, Ms. Jeraldine Calangi, Ms. Geraldine Camandillo, Ms. Arllene Castro, Prof. Eliodora Dimzon, Ms. Milyn Leghid, Ms. Marian Janice Mediana, Mr. Vincent Miclat, Dr. Pearl Angeli Palacios-Pedroso, and Prof. Daniel David Pamplona.
